


Fascinating

by Adarian



Category: Fallout 3
Genre: F/F
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-06-27
Updated: 2015-06-27
Packaged: 2018-04-06 12:31:26
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,527
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4221828
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Adarian/pseuds/Adarian
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Moira Brown's research methods are somewhat unusual. A rather self-sacrificing Lone Wanderer works extra hard to keep her in the lab and away from the field, at times, great personal harm. Sometimes we buy our crushes flowers, sometimes we bring disarmed land mines...</p>
            </blockquote>





	Fascinating

**Author's Note:**

> This is what happens when you listen to lectures on the "Princess Bride" while playing Fallout 3 on pain meds. I thought this was funny. Sorry this isn't DA. But whatever. YOLO.

Despite her fearsome reputation, Moira went right up and approached this so called "Warden of the Wastelands" all on her own. Who, after all, would be better suited to help research survival tactics in the wastelands than a person whose nickname literally had "Wastelands" in it? 

Rose turned around wearily, pausing slightly to glance up at her, before returning to browse through her wares.

"Excuse me?" Moira asked sweetly.

When Rose continued to ignore her, Moira asked louder, "Excuse me?"

Rose looked up, shifting her weapon in her holster. She relaxed, recognizing her. They had talked a few times, not terribly in depth, but enough that she seemed to trust her enough not to shoot her on sight. Promising. 

"What do you need?" 

"Well," Moira said nervously, "I need some help creating a book to help others, like yourself, to better live out in the wilderness. I've heard how capable you are and I'd be willing to pay you, as well give you royalties. Would you be interested in working with me?"

Rose asked again, "What do you _need_?" 

Moira laughed awkwardly, "There's an abandoned store not that far from here. I was wondering if you would go and scope it out, see if you can find some supplies, maybe some food or medicine. If it's not too much trouble, after all..."

"This is for a book?" Rose raised an eyebrow. 

"Scavenging, I'm told, is a very important component to living in the Wastelands. You would be doing research and maybe clearing out a dangerous area for travelers. Please, it might do a lot of good." 

Rose put down the ammo she was toying with. "As you wish."

***

It surprised Moira to no end when Rose showed up by that evening with a bag full of gear, which she laid out in front of her. Moira asked her excitedly about the adventure, but the Warden spoke little to her, only reporting exactly what Moira had asked for, and no more.

Moira expected her to be done with her, but Rose asked, "What else?"

"Well," Moira said, "I have been curious about radiation sickness..."

Rose sighed and left the store. She arrived a few hours later, practically green as the sky, hands shaking. Moira barely got her to the bed before she began throwing up. Rose shuddered as Moira injected her with medicine, stroking her back. 

Rose finally recovered, sitting upright.

"What else?" She asked wearily. 

Moira protested, "No, you go get some sleep first...also, you may want to get that lump checked out...sorry..."

***

Moira came downstairs, seeing Rose already up, packing her bags again. Moira offered her a cup of coffee, but Rose waved it off. 

"You wouldn't happen to be willing to find me a mine today, would you?" She asked sheepishly. "Or at least, check the minefield out..."

Rose sighed, putting her hat back on. "As you wish."

***

The next week the Warden would collapse in front of her store, covered in teeth marks, a mirelurk claw actually embedded in her leg, which was fortunately broken so Rose couldn't feel it. Okay, maybe not fortunately. She imagined it still hurt. 

Rose practically growled when Moira picked her up and carried her back to the cot. Moira tucked her in before running out to drag Doc Church to her store. The older man groaned at being woken up and lectured Moira as they climbed back up the hill.

"You need to stop making that girl jump through every hoop you can find," he muttered. "I'm surprised you haven't asked her to do laps around the Bomb until she goes green."

"Well...she survived that already, I wouldn't ask again."

Doc groaned, "Stop it. You're going to send that poor girl into the grave because she can't say no to you."

"She's agreed to everything out of her own free will," Moira promised. "This is just for science. She's a good woman, she just wants to help out my research."

"Uh huh," Doc said. 

Moira wanted to persuade him, but by that point he was already in the door and treating, even she had to admit, the rather pathetic looking Warden. Rose cried out when the claw was ripped from her, gripping into the pillow. Moira felt guilty. She was not entirely sure that she had needed Rose to get quite so injured for science.

***

Moira made sure she was awake before Rose this time. She cleaned up her little apartment, tidied everything. She even made breakfast herself, though she was worried Rose might think this was yet another experiment. 

The Wanderer stirred finally, walking slowly on her injured leg. She sat down beside Moira, gritting her teeth. Moira served her nervously.

"What this time?" Rose joked, poking at the eggs. "Some new seasoning that might stave off a whiskey addiction? Is it laced with arsenic?"

Moira said guiltily, "Just breakfast. Sorry...you've been really great. I'm sorry I nearly killed you."

Rose laughed, covering her mouth. Moira smiled. Despite being usually covered in dirt, her dark skin full of cuts and bruises, her hair less than clean...well, Rose was actually quite pretty. And that laugh was actually pretty adorable. 

Their eyes met and Moira looked away, blushing.

"Actually," she said, "I've been looking at doing some history, less things to actually hurt you, hopefully. Have you heard of Rivet City?"

"That's quite awhile from here," Rose commented. "Maybe three weeks on foot, back and forth. Are you making vacation plans?"

Moira shrugged. "I just want to learn from their successes, that's all. You're charming, people will open right up to you."

Rose smirked but said nothing.

Moira flushed and continued, "I mean that, oh whatever, you know what I mean. Go find out whatever you can. It might all be just gossip, but you never know. Anything we can do might help someone else later down the road."

Rose nodded and rose, grabbing her pack.

"At least finish breakfast first," Moira said eagerly.

"I mean this in the kindest way possible," Rose said, "I would rather walk through the minefield again."

Moira rolled her eyes as she left, closing the door behind her.

***

Moira saw Rose for less than twenty minutes before she disappeared again, headed to Arlington. Which at least was more than the ten minutes she stayed before racing off to the RobCo Production Facility. And now it had been a month.

Well, 34 days. But who was counting, really. Not her. Certainly not her.

Moira fidgeted absentmindedly at the counter, looking at the door longingly, hoping this was the day her Wanderer found her way back to her. Not her. The. 

She was in the midst of arguing with herself which preposition to use when the door finally opened and Moira nearly leapt from her skin.

Rose leaned against the doorframe and asked angrily, "Anything else, Miss Brown? Any other dangerous, life-threatening situations you find yourself interested in exploring?"

"Where have you been?" Moira asked worriedly, dropping everything to race to her. She pulled Rose inside and closed the door.

"You know, you go do one thing, something else pops up, someone else is shooting at you or pleading for you to save their cat from a tree. Then the cat shoots at you. You know how it is."

"No more," Moira promised, running her hands over the holes in Rose's armour. "We're done. I'm not risking you to anymore big scary things out there, not even for science's sake. If I want it done, I'll do it myself now."

"You?" Rose laughed. "I've been doing this so _you_ won't run out there, you idiot. Most of this research is bunk, you know that. God, I hope you know that, or I'm sounding like an asshole now...okay, look. I knew if I didn't go risking my neck, you would go out there and get yourself killed trying to ask raiders how they felt about their mothers."

"I'm not sure if I should feel insulted or not."

"About the research, yes, but not about you," Rose said. "You're inquisitive and kind, those are not bad things. They are not things I wanted killed off out there. I'd rather you be here and safe. It's better that someone like me gets hurt than you." 

"So you...you honestly did this for me?" Moira asked in confusion. "Not...what?"

Rose pulled her into her arms and kissed her. Moira laughed nervously, kissing her back. With impressive strength, Rose picked her up and carried her upstairs. 

***

Moira waited until Rose was asleep before she turned on her flashlight and started scribbling notes furiously. The beginning of the encounter had been awkward, but it had become quite pleasant...more than pleasant, by the end. It was clear that neither of them had much experience, but that would come in time, hopefully. 

She stopped when she heard Rose roll over in her sleep. Her Wanderer blinked and looked up at her.

"Sorry," Moira apologized. "Just had an idea for a second book..."

Rose looked briefly at the notepad and chuckled. "I think I'm going to enjoy researching this one a lot better than the last."


End file.
